In the absence of understanding who we are and where we’ve come from, it’s impossible to figure out where we are going and, more importantly, how we will get there. As we struggle for understanding, there is a serious need to step outside of the selfish ideals that “I” is all that matters or that “my group’s life” matters more. No group or person holds the patent on struggle and oppression….we are all in this world together. MLK said best, “injustice anywhere, is injustice everywhere”. Why have we lost sight of this?
All lives matter. I may have more insight into my struggles as a black man….or a gay man…..but there needs to be compassion for those that are not like me, but are still in the midst of their own struggles. How many human lives have to be destroyed before we come to realize that “I am my brother’s keeper”?
I want to speak to my black people out there; our lives matter. There should be civil unrest every single time a black man or woman is killed by the police or racially profiled by anyone. But, let me ask you this……when are we going to stop killing each other? When are OUR lives going to matter to each other enough to stop murdering each other? If we don’t respect the lives of each other, how do we expect the world to respect our lives? When are we going to stop trying to claim a bigger piece of oppression and show compassion to the others that are in a similar boat?
I know that our history in this country is marred by slavery….families torn apart on the auction blocks, our women raped, our men beaten and broken down. When is it ok to stop being so damn angry about it and realize that it’s time to work together to make changes happen? Just because we are LOUDER than the other groups that have the same struggle doesn’t mean we are going to be heard. The messages are being missed by our inability to see that the only way WE can make it is if the rest of the country/world see the compassion we have for each other.
We all have a responsibility to each other. We should ALL be upset about the senseless killing of black a man or black woman, but we should be equally pissed when a white person is murdered….or an Asian person….or Hispanic. We are all connected in the world, people!
I want to speak to my gay people out there; we are in the midst of fantastic strides in our social acceptance in this country. The supreme court of the land has validated our civil rights and the pendulum of justice is finally swinging our way. Having said that, the Gay Struggle is not the new Black Struggle. I have thought about this for some time now and I get why some of us gay people like to think this, but I think we need to look at the history of the country to understand why so many people are upset by this. The struggle that black people have endured in this country since it was founded had reached depths so heinous that we all should feel blessed that we are in the place that we are in. Hell, even me, as a black man, will never really understand what real struggle is because of all the heroes and sheroes that came before me.
At the end of the day, both groups need to stop comparing scars and show a little compassion and help each other heal.
All life is precious. All life matters. Let’s embrace our differences and try to see where the other group is coming from by seeing the fight from their eyes. If we do this, we will find we share more things in common than some may think. Let’s all march together, one voice with a common message of equality, after all, that’s all any of us want….For Real.
